Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-01-27
THE BEAR WAS AMIABLE,
But John Crawford Disturbed 1t, With
Damaging Results to Himself.

New York Sun.
FISHERS MILLS, Pa, Jan. LIT hsv.
ing been reported that Spruce swamp, 8
dense growth OF evergreens and under.
brush three miles from this settlement,
in the North Pennsylvania LUMBER woods,
was literally overrun with rabbits, John
Crawford and John Slater, employees of
the Fisher Lumber Company, went out
early on Christmas day to have a rabbit
hunt. They found the game fully as
sbundaut as had been reported,
and having bsgged a large number
of rabbits, they sat down on log to eat
their luncheon before indulging any fur
Their in their sport. They had finished
their luncheon and were enjoying quiet
smoke, when their dog, q small yellow
whiffet, began to bristle up and growl.
The hunters looked in the direction that
seemed to attract the attention of the
dog, and were startled to see q bear sit
ting on its launches on little rise of
ground, not more than thirty PAGES dis
tant. 1t was cycling the two hunters I'M
pudently, hut manifested no hostile incli-
nation, in fact, according to Slater, it
seemed to be enjoying the proximity of
the two men, and acted as though 1t
might Join the group if invited 1t was
only when the dog snapped and snarled
louder than usual that the bear showed
any evident annoyance. Slater was for
seeking some other part of the woods at
once and leaving the amiable but cheeky
bear in peaceful possession of that partic-
ular spot, but Crawford, after recovering
from the start the discovery of the bear
had given him, was inclined to resent the
intrusion on their siesta, and expressed
his intention to load bruin with shot,
"He's near enough for me TO wing him
with the shot we're using, if they are
small" said Crawford. "He'll run, any
how, as soon as he hears the gun. Bears
are terrible towards"
Crawford prepared to give the bear a
salute, notwithstanding the protests of
his companion. Seeing that Crawford
was bound to fire, Slater began to pick
out an easy direction in which to seek
other parts.
"Hold on" said Crawford, "I'l give
him load in his nose, and then just
watch him run"
The bear had not moved, and the dead
ly intent of this confident hunter had not
affected its amiable manner in the least
"Now watch bin rum" said Crawford,
pulling up aud blazing away at the bears
nose. And bruin did run. But not the
way Crawford calculated on. The bear
ran directly toward the hunters. They
both dropped their guns, and it was but
the work of a few seconds for Crawford
to shin it up one tree and for Slater to
ind the branches of another. The bear
made directly for Crawford's tree, and
got under it just as the mistaken hunt
er reached the lower branch and
was pulling himself up in it. The branch
broke and Crawford fell ten feet, and
struck with his back across the back
the bear. Crawford is a man weighing
$50 pounds, and that weight falling from
such height on the bear knocked it fiat
on the ground. 1t was such an uuex
pected incident to the bear that it seemed
to fill the animal with alarm, and without
waiting to pay any attention to the hunter,
it crawled cut from under him and hur-
risd away into the woods as rapidly as it
q uld. The dog fed at the first charge
of the bear, and has not been seen since
Slater, in his tree, saw that Crawford
did not get up, but lay grooming where
he had dropped. Slater hurried to his
assistance Crawford was so badly hurt
in his spine that he was unable to rise,
and his weight was such that his COM
panion was unable to aid him, and was
obliged to come all the way into the mills
for assistance. Crawford lay under the
tree for an hour and half. DR.. Graves
of Springville, who was called, says that
Crawford's injury is so serious that it
will probably cripple him for life.